We are all by nature Pelagians. Like the heretical monk Pelagius, we like to think in our hearts, even should our lips profess otherwise, that we are basically good. Defeating this temptation is one of the great blessings that comes …Read More

Riding a tidal wave of surging popularity, few Christian books have burst onto the publishing scene and been as widely received as The Prayer of Jabez (Multnomah, 2000). In only its sixth year of circulation, this brief, ninety-three-page book has …Read More

With the possible exception of John 3:16, no verse in the Bible is more crucial and definitive than Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your …Read More

When the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar finished its work in destroying Jerusalem and carrying off the cream of its citizenry into exile in 586 BC, God’s people faced their greatest crisis ever, both politically and spiritually. This was the land …Read More

Even though the 2004 U.S. presidential election was not even two years ago, the media is already looking ahead to the 2008 campaign cycle. This reporting can be exasperating, but it is not surprising. In biblical terms, the attention paid …Read More

Deuteronomy is the linchpin to the historical books. Deuteronomy is a covenant document that is the foundational constitutional document of the emerging Israelites. There is an astounding preview of Israel’s history at the end of Deuteronomy (chap. 27–30), which even …Read More

“Once upon a time….” These words signal the beginning of a fairy tale, a story of make believe, not an account of sober history. Unlike beginning with the words “once upon a time,” the Bible begins with the words, “In …Read More

Over the last couple months I’ve been extremely busy. Like most American’s today, I am driving around in my SUV from one appointment to the next; attending church functions, get-togethers with friends and family, all the while tending to my …Read More

Recently I visited a member of our congregation who was in the hospital. After leaving his room, I stepped onto the elevator and noticed two women standing quietly at the back of the elevator. Each was carrying a bag that …Read More

To describe life as a journey is such a perfect metaphor that writers in every age return to it again and again. Western culture is full of pilgrims, headed in different directions, to different destinations. Before John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, …Read More